Hayes Statue Gets Boost

Pictured, left to right, are OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital President Steve Bunyard, and Hayes Heritage Fund Committee members Bill Rietz and Jack Hilborn. Rietz is pictured holding a replica of the 7-foot statue of President Rutherford B. Hayes that will be placed in downtown Delaware.

Appropriate honor for Delaware’s most distinguished native,
19th United States President Rutherford B. Hayes, is long overdue but now
significantly closer to becoming a reality after a gift from a local healthcare
provider.

The Rutherford B. Hayes Heritage Fund, leading the “Hayes Comes Home” project to erect a statue in Delaware, announced a $25,000 gift from OhioHealth on Wednesday.

“We know how important history and celebrating the past is
for the people who live and work in the city of Delaware,” OhioHealth Grady
Memorial Hospital President Steve Bunyard states in a press release. “As a
hospital in the heart of Delaware, supporting community programs like the
Delaware County Fair, supporting projects like food pantries or partnering with
the United Way, and in this case honoring a native son with a donation helps us
connect with this community that we are proud to serve each and every day.”

With the gift, the fund is nearing the $70,000 mark. The
ultimate goal of organizers is to raise $125,000. Included in the total cost of
the statue that is destined for downtown Delaware is the refurbishing of the
existing fountain at the plaza on the southwest corner of William and Sandusky
streets, and the accompanying signage detailing Hayes’ life.

“We are so thankful to have OhioHealth’s support at this
critical juncture of the project,” said Hayes Heritage Fund Committee Chairman
Bill Rietz. “We have a ways to go to meet our fundraising goal, but we are
committed to making this a reality.”

The goal of the grassroots committee is to unveil the 7-foot
statue on Friday, Oct. 4 — Hayes’ birthday. The event will coincide with a Main
Street Delaware First Friday event.

Ohio artist Alan Cottrill was selected in July to create the statue. His previous creations include Woody Hayes and Jesse Owens statues on The Ohio State University campus, as well as the Thomas Edison statue in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol.

Other than the small plaque in front of his birthplace, now
the BP gas station on William Street, there is little recognition of Delaware’s
native son around the city. In addition to the statue downtown, the committee
has plans for a bust of Hayes that will adorn the atrium of Hayes High School.

Prior to his presidency from 1877-81, Hayes served as a
general in the Civil War, as governor of Ohio for two terms, and in the United
States House of Representatives from 1865-67.

For more information about the Rutherford B. Hayes Comes
Home project and ways to donate, visit www.hayescomeshome.org .